Slipton Church and a former ironstone quarry

Image: © John Sutton Taken: 27 Jun 2012

Nikolaus Pevsner described the church of St John Baptist in two lines: "Small, on its own, nave, chancel and bell-cote. One Norman N window. Chancel arch probably C13." The field in the foreground, lower than the surrounding lanes, was once Home Close Quarry, active from 1880 until the 1890s. From the 1870s until 1948 Slipton was a centre of iron ore extraction. The ore was initially quarried where it was near the surface, as here, but from 1902 mines were opened up to exploit deeper ore-beds. The ore was taken to Islip Ironworks (now the site of the industrial estate in gridsquare Image) by a 3ft-gauge railway, the Slipton Tramway. The Islip Iron Co (later Stewarts & Lloyds) operated an extensive railway network serving quarries and mines at Twywell, Lowick and Sudborough. After Islip Ironworks closed in 1942 the ore was taken to Corby. The last part of the system, the Lowick branch, closed in 1952.

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